As usual we'll be testing our coolers at varying levels of overclock and increasing levels of voltage. this in turn of course means increasing levels of heat which the coolers need to dissipate. To begin with we start with the undervolted stock speed. Why undervolted? well if you have things set on "Auto", you may well be using more volts than are actually required to run at the chosen frequency, for example our 3960s will run quite happily at just 1.1volts, solid as a rock, 24/7, and as such we use this as our starting point.

Continuity is very important in testing, and for this reason we keep as many of the potential variables as locked down as possible. We will be using OCCT in Linpack X64, AVX compatible with all logical cores tested and 90% free memory utilised. The test is set up to run automatically with just a few clicks to set it going. A 10 minute idle followed by 30 minutes of testing and a 5 minute cool down is the order of the day and brings the total test time per clock speed to 45 minutes. So as to remove subjectivity in determining whether a CPU has failed, OCCT is set to stop the test and register a fail should the max temp exceed 80 degrees. In testing we noted that if even just one of the cores exceeds 82 degrees OCCT halts the test and a fail is recorded.

Not a bad start for the H100i GTX at full fan speed and still not too shoddy at the all important Balanced setting

Turning now to the 4GHz test we up the voltage to 1.25 volts, this is what is deemed normally as stock volts. Something we are always harping on about on the forums is AUTO does not mean stock volts, and normally if you overclocking with "auto" volts the motherboard will be upping the volts much more than needed if you were to do it manually. By whichever means it happens, upping the volts (especially from our 1.1v undervolt) does have a big impact on temps, with an average increase of 10-15 degrees seen in the results.

At the higher levels of heat generated by the increase in voltage required for the 4.0GHz overclock, fan performance, although still a factor becomes less critical, replaced instead by a coolers ability to conduct the heat up the heat pipes and more crucially the total surface area of the fins enabling convection to the atmosphere. In the case of AIOs and water cooling the surface area of the radiator and the efficiency of the contact plate begin to play more of a factor.

With the heat starting to build the H100i GTX is still making a reasonable fist of things.

Upping the volts still further we achieve a stable 4.4GHz overclock at 1.35 Volts. It's here we start to separate the wheat from the chaff, with lesser coolers not able to disperse the increased heat effectively. Again we see a jump of 10 degrees or so from the figures at 4GHz. Both the H100 and the well-respected D14 are creeping into the 70s here, indicating that only the cream of the crop will excel at this level.

With the heat piling on the H100i GTX pulls a bit of a blinder out of the bag. We actually re ran this test a few times as we weren't convinced of the result but having got the same results a few times we have to say it's a genuine result. Seems there's a bit of a sweet spot for the H100i GTX at full fan speeds, although even at Balanced and silent things aren't too bad.

Finally our 4.6GHz test. Don't be fooled, this is an extreme test and the graph reflects this, you will only see the very best featured in this graph. If we really want to measure outright performance, this is where we do it.

Holly Crap, this little 240mm AIO is beating the poo out of some seriously big opponents. Granted a lot of this is down to the fan speeds, but even so, it's mighty impressive.

Most Recent Comments

Nice review Tom. I don't think you are mental going on about the wires and hose connections. I wonder if its a price point that has to be met. I don't know why they change OEM manufacturers within the same product line. It also effects my OCD as it does yoursQuote

I think your niggles with the cooler were well founded and wd for revealing that the grey trim can easily be removed. For a lot of people will not care about the cables even slightly and value the increased performance over the H100i so really Performance is the perfect award for it.

Corsair were silly with the USB placement and I would say it annoys me but I have become so anal I wouldn't plug it in wherever they placed it. Just set the LED colour in link one time and leave it on it's own after that. Similarly the criticism about not having push/pull support like the H100i is a bit of a weak point for it too. I also really don't like the fact you can't remove the fan cables should you wish to use motherboard headers or fixed voltage fans. I prefer the H105/Kelvin approach of just chucking a few splitters in the packet, but we all know how much Corsair are addicted to moar features. The hoses still look ridiculously long and fixing them is very odd.

I wouldn't go for it and i'm glad I swapped my H105 for a Kelvin rather than waiting for these.

I think your niggles with the cooler were well founded and wd for revealing that the grey trim can easily be removed. For a lot of people will not care about the cables even slightly and value the increased performance over the H100i so really Performance is the perfect award for it.

Corsair were silly with the USB placement and I would say it annoys me but I have become so anal I wouldn't plug it in wherever they placed it. Just set the LED colour in link one time and leave it on it's own after that. Similarly the criticism about not having push/pull support like the H100i is a bit of a weak point for it too. I also really don't like the fact you can't remove the fan cables should you wish to use motherboard headers or fixed voltage fans. I prefer the H105/Kelvin approach of just chucking a few splitters in the packet, but we all know how much Corsair are addicted to moar features. The hoses still look ridiculously long and fixing them is very odd.

I wouldn't go for it and i'm glad I swapped my H105 for a Kelvin rather than waiting for these.

JR

If you dont plug it in you cant control the pump YOU would need to faff about with this. After our debate the other day this at full chat isnt quiet at all. Compared to the H110i GT this thing is plain noisey and I honestly think its down to the Asetek OEMQuote

If you dont plug it in you cant control the pump YOU would need to faff about with this. After our debate the other day this at full chat isnt quiet at all. Compared to the H110i GT this thing is plain noisey and I honestly think its down to the Asetek OEM

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